Hate at First Sight
by R5RossLynch29
Summary: When Ally's mom remarries a rich lawyer, Ally is forced to pack up and move from Miami to Tampa. Having to throw away her old life, she's anything but thrilled: a new family was not what she had in mind. Living in a new city, going to a new school, and having to start over, Ally quickly realizes there's no going back. At least her new friends seem cool. Well, some of them...
1. Transitions

**A/N: New story, yay! :) Those of you that already know me and have read my stories, you're all awesome for reading this new one as well, as I'm really excited about it :) To my new followers and readers: Hi, I'm Joelle, and I think you're all amazing. We'll be friends really quick! :D**

**I will be working on this story as well as Parenting 101 at the same time, so have no fear, that story is not done yet! You can breathe again haha**

**Genres include: romance, drama, humor. Rated T for language. Enjoy! :)**

**Disclaimer: don't own A&A.**

* * *

Ally POV

"Remind me again why we're doing this?" I asked my mom.

She sighed from the driver's seat of the car. "It'll be good for us, Allyson, now quit complaining."

"You know I hate being called Allyson," I told her.

"Look, honey, I know the divorce between your father and I was hard on you, but I'm glad I put myself back out there, otherwise Mike and I would have never met."

My mom and dad had divorced four years ago when I was twelve, and she recently remarried Mike Sandler, a lawyer. This whole new arrangement meant my mom and I had to pack up and leave our old home behind in Miami and move to Tampa, which was four hours away. I left behind my friends, my school. My life. For a completely new one, in a city that I didn't know.

"I don't understand why I couldn't just move in with dad. That way I could stay in Miami and not have to leave everything behind," I said. "I mean, I'm only sixteen! I have a life, you know. Or I did, until I ended up having to ditch it."

"We've been over this, Ally; your father and I talked and we both agreed it would be better for you to come with me. The change will be good for you."

"I hate change," I mumbled. "Besides, Claudia and I don't even get along, so it's not like I'll be getting a tour of the city by her."

"You and Claudia have never _tried_ to get along."

I stared at her. "Mom. Since you and Mike met, which was two _years_ ago, Claudia and I have met twice. We can't stand each other."

"Okay, so maybe you haven't ever hung out together," my mom admitted. "But this is a great opportunity for you two girls to bond! Especially since you're the same age."

Oh, my mother. Always the optomistic one.

"Doubtful," I muttered, but she didn't hear me.

After another hour of driving, we stopped to get gas. While my mom filled up the car, I went inside the convenience store to grab a snack for the rest of the drive.

I was looking in the drink cooler when I heard giggling close to me. I glanced to my left and saw a group of girls around my age looking me up and down, laughing.

I knew why they were laughing at me. It was because I was wearing jean shorts and a black tank top with black combat boots, a red plaid shirt tied around my waist. My long brown hair was loose, flipped in random places. With fair skin, big brown eyes, and little makeup, I was considered an outsider to them.

These looked like girls who judged anyone who didn't look like them. Seriously, they all looked like clones. Same bleached hair, extensions clipped in. Fake nails, makeup covered faces, yoga pants and Gucci sweaters covering their bodies. What is this, Prada Land? People should express themselves.

I ignored them and grabbed my drink, stalking by on my way to the counter to pay.

My mom came in a minute later. "Got what you need?" She asked me.

"Yep," I said, brushing past her and out the door, leaving the snobby girls behind.

When she came back out, she looked at me. "You alright, honey?"

"I'm awesome, mom."

She gave me her look that said _Yeah, whatever_, but didn't push it. We still had two more hours of driving, so I stuck my headphones in and listened to my music the rest of the way.

* * *

"Ally, we're here."

I jumped, opening my eyes from my apparent nap. My mom was driving up a massive driveway to what was an even more massive house. Pardon my choice of words. I meant mansion. HUGE mansion.

"How come I've never seen this place?"

"Because you never wanted to come with me to see Mike," my mom answered.

"It was a rhetorical question, mom."

"Then next time, make it more rhetorical and less question," she shot back as she parked. I climbed out less eagerly after her and pulled my headphones out, eyeing the mansion. I couldn't get over how big it was.

The big wooden door swung open and Mike came out with a big smile on his face. He was a good looking guy who had aged well. He resembled Mark Wahlberg quite a bit.

"Hey guys! How was the trip?" Mike greeted, giving my mom a kiss.

"It was great," my mom smiled.

Mike gave me a hug, which I awkwardly returned. "Hello Ally, it's nice to see you again."

"Hey, Mike," I tried for a smile. Mike was a really nice guy, and I could tell he loved my mom, but it was going to take me a while to get used to the fact that there was a new man in our lives. He would never replace my dad, no matter how hard he tried.

"Let's go inside, shall we? George will get your things," Mike said.

"George?" I repeated.

"The butler," Mike explained. As if on cue, an older man came outside dressed fancy.

"Should have guessed," I said under my breath.

"Penny, it's good to see you again," the guy I assumed was George said, shaking my mom's hand.

"You too, George. This is my daughter, Allyson."

"It's Ally," I corrected.

"Well, it's nice to finally meet you, Ally. Your mother has told me lots about you."

"Oh, joy," I said, glancing at my mom, who shrugged before heading inside with Mike.

I bent to grab my bag from the seat of the car before going to the trunk. "I can take my luggage, George," I told him. "I want to get them upstairs and unpacked."

"Alright, Miss Dawson," he replied. "As you wish."

"Please don't call me that," I begged. "I'd prefer Ally. I want _something_ in my life to stay the same."

George smiled warmly and patted my shoulder. "Things will brighten up, my dear. Just you wait."

"I hope so," I sighed as I grabbed my things from the trunk and hauled them inside. The inside of the house was beautiful too. Jeez, being a successful lawyer really did wonders.

"Oh, Ally, you could have left those for George," Mike said from where he and my mom were talking in the kitchen.

"It's fine, Mike, I'm capable of carrying my own things," I replied.

"Well, okay. Your room is upstairs at the end of the hall on the left. You can take your things up there."

"Thanks." I trudged up the grand staircase and followed Mike's instructions, moving to the end of the long hallway. I stopped outside the white door and dropped my bags.

I sighed and sat on my one luggage. I started school the following week, but since I transferred during the year, my class choices were very limited. At least I was able to take Advanced Music. It was the one thing I couldn't live without.

I couldn't take my piano when we moved, but fortunately, I had my guitar. My songbook and my guitar were the only pieces I had left of my old life. Now, I had to start new. I was always told transitions were a good thing, a way to see things in another light. So far, I wasn't expecting this transition to be anywhere close to good.

I was well aware that this was my new living situation, and there was nothing I could do about it. At least until I was 18, that is. After that, I was out of here. "Might as well make the most of it, since I don't really have a choice," I sighed to myself.

* * *

**A/N: Pretty uneventful, but it's getting the story started :) The characters will obviously be out of character, but not a WHOLE lot. This _is_ fanfiction after all, not the real show. You're supposed to play around with things, change it up! :)**

** Hope y'all enjoyed, reviews are much appreciated! Love you guys!**

**Joelle xx**

**twitter? r5giirl**

**Instagram? r5giirl**


	2. Wicked Witch of Tampa

**A/N: Chapter two! Thanks for the love, everybody, I'm glad you're all excited about this story! :)**

**Disclaimer: don't own A&A but I own the other characters in this story.**

* * *

Ally POV

When I entered my room, my first thought was _holy eff, this is huge.  
_  
The walls and ceiling were white but obviously I would fix that, and the floor was laminate hardwood. The closet was walk-in, and I had a big window that faced the front yard. I had to admit, it was really nice. There was a vanity against one wall and a dresser in the corner as well. There was another door on one wall, so I walked over and opened it. Guess I had my own bathroom too.

My mom walked in. "Wow, it's gorgeous, honey!"

"It's huge," I said.

"It is," she admitted. "But you have tons of space. It's a lot better than your old room."

"But my old room was _me_. This isn't."

"We'll go shopping for paint and everything later, alright?" I sighed and nodded.

"Daddy! I'm home!"

I groaned. "Oh god, it's back."

"Ally!" My mom scolded in a hushed voice.

I put my hands up and reluctantly followed her out the door and downstairs to where Claudia was fixing her hair in the hallway mirror. Talk about vain. I resisted the urge to gag.

"Hi, Claudia," my mom said kindly. "How are you?"

"I'm fine," she replied. She fluffed her hair again before turning to look at me.

Claudia was undeniably gorgeous, with her long strawberry blonde hair and lean figure, but her personality was horrible. She was about a foot taller than me but that wasn't really saying anything. I wasn't exactly tall in the first place.

"Oh, hey Amy," she said cheerfully. Cheerfully fake.

"It's _Ally_," I said through gritted teeth.

"Sorry, I always get so mixed up!" She exclaimed.

Whatever.

"Hey, sweetie," Mike said as he entered the room, giving his daughter a hug. "How was the movie?"

"It sucked; we left like, half an hour into it. Bianca and I got bored, and Sarah was too busy texting Dez so we went shopping instead," Claudia said.

"Why does that not surprise me?" Mike sighed.

"Well, it shouldn't."

"As much fun as this has been, I'm going to head upstairs and unpack everything," I spoke up, clapping my hands together before running up.

The bed in the room was a king sized bed, so I obviously needed bigger sheets than what I was used to. I unpacked all my clothes and hung them up in the closet before making a list of things I needed and wanted to buy for the room. While I did that, there was a knock at the door.

"It's open."

The door opened and surprisingly, Claudia walked right in, going to sit on my bed. "Hey."

"Um, hi?"

"So, just so we're clear, I don't like you."

"Oh, that's nice, because I don't like you either," I told her. "Anything else?"

"Yeah. You're coming into my home and my school. So stay out of my way. Got it?"

"Don't worry, I plan to avoid you and anyone involved with you as much as possible," I said.

"Good." She stood up and smoothed out her skirt before walking to the door. "Oh, and by the way, you dress like a guy."

"And you dress like a Barbie wannabe. Shall I go on? Because the names I could call you are endless."

She narrowed her eyes at me. "As if I got _you_ of all people for a stepsister."

"My thoughts exactly. Now screw off, I'm busy."

"Gladly." And with that, she closed the door and left.

I let out an angry sigh and ran a hand through my long brunette waves. "Kill me."

My door opened again a few seconds later and I whipped around. "Claudia, I said-"

"Sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not Claudia," a boy said as he walked into my room. He looked fifteen, with black hair and green eyes. He looked like Logan Lerman in the first Percy Jackson movie.

"Um, who the hell are you?" I asked him.

"Bryce."

"And that's supposed to mean anything to me because?"

"Uh, because I'm your stepbrother."

My eyes widened. "You're Claudia's _brother_?"

"Yep."

"Since when does Mike have a son?" I exclaimed.

"Since fifteen years ago," Bryce said, lying on his back while tossing a ball in the air.

"But...but I didn't know! How is that even possible?"

"I was living with my aunt for a couple of years when I decided I wanted to come back. I missed everyone back at school and at home."

"My mom never said anything about Claudia having a brother."

Bryce shrugged. "You know now."

I looked at him for a few seconds before saying, "You aren't like your sister, are you?"

"Nah, I'm cool. My sister is a bitch, end of story."

"Hi, I'm Ally, I think we just became best friends."

Bryce grinned. "Not everyone is pissed about you living here. I think it'll be awesome. I've got a new stepsister!"

"Alright, alright, don't get too excited, I'm not that amazing, dude."

He noticed my guitar in the corner of the room. "You play?"

"Yeah, since I was five."

"Let's hear you play something."

"Uh, no way."

"What? Why not?"

"Because I don't perform in front of people."

"You're kidding."

"I have stage fright."

"Stage fright? But I thought you're in Advanced Music!"

"How did you know about that?" I asked.

"Your mom told me and dad."

"Lovely. Well, yeah I am, but that's with other people. That's not getting up on stage in front of people by myself."

"It's kind of the same thing," Bryce said.

"To me it's not! My brain doesn't think it is! So it's not!"

"Okay, okay," he laughed. "Relax. You don't have to play for me."

I sighed. "Thanks."

"But you will someday," he added.

"Don't count on it."

"You will." He stood up. "I'll let you get back to whatever you were doing. Unless you need help."

"I'm good, thanks," I told him.

He nodded. "Okay, I'll see you later."

"Bye," I told him as he closed the door behind him. At least one kid in the household was sane. And nice. And everything else Claudia was not.

Once I finished making my list, I went downstairs to find my mom and Mike talking at the counter again. They looked up when they saw me.

"Um, I wrote down everything I need," I said. "For my room. If it's okay with you, I'd like to go as soon as possible."

"Whenever you want is fine with me," Mike said. "Penny?"

"I can take you right now, honey!" My mom exclaimed happily. "Ooh, I just love mother/daughter shopping trips!"

I glanced at Mike, who rolled his eyes but was smiling. "Go have fun."

"Mom definitely will," I said as my mom grabbed her purse and ran out the door like a teenage girl. I followed after her out to the car.

* * *

**A/N: I really hope you guys liked this chapter, it wasn't very eventful, but this story is just getting started. You have to get the feel of new characters and everything! :) Review it up please, they are much appreciated!**

**Joelle xx**

**twitter? r5giirl**

**Instagram? r5giirl**


	3. Shopping Spree

**A/N: Thanks for the support, everybody! Glad that you love it, and im glad that you like how I changed up Ally's style and personality. It's something different from her innocent self on the show :)**

**Disclaimer: don't own A&A.**

* * *

Ally POV

"I want to paint the walls black," I told my mom as we strolled through the halls of the store. "And get like, white accents for the walls."

"You don't want anything nicer?" She asked.

"How is white not nice? It's practically the color of elegance."

"I just mean something more colourful. So you aren't making it seem like you're in mourning."

"Mom, I like the black, okay?" I told her. "If it makes you feel better, I'll buy red pens."

"Ally, I was just suggesting," she sighed. "You don't have to be sarcastic."

I wasn't always like this. I mean, the way I dressed and my taste in things. It started after the divorce. I used to be into dresses and bright colors, hearts and fashionable clothing. Now, I stuck to darker colors, chunky boots, beanies, and plaid shirts. I wasn't as happy either. Families being ripped apart tended to change you.

I grabbed a black paint swatch. "This is good."

"Alright," she said.

"Hey, mom?"

"Hmm?"

"How come you never told me about Bryce?"

She looked at me and sighed, rubbing her temples. "I didn't think it was that big of a deal since I thought he was staying with his aunt this year again."

"You still could have told me," I said, voice rising. "It's a big thing to keep."

"Honey, keep it down."

"Don't tell me what to do! You lied to me!"

"Look, Ally, I wanted to tell you, but I didn't know how. I knew you were already upset about our new living situation and you were upset about Claudia, so I didn't want to add to your stress by saying you have another step-sibling, especially if I thought he was going to be away. Mike agreed with me."

"He wanted to keep his own son in the dark?" I said disbelievingly.

"Not in the dark; we were going to wait until later on. But then Bryce moved back so we didn't get a chance to tell you first."

I couldn't stay mad at her. I sighed. "At least this one is nice," I said. "Unlike his sister."

"Ally, give Claudia a chance, alright?" My mom said.

"Mmm, no. I'm going to find bed sets and decor." Before my mom could say anything else, I took the cart and went to find the bed department.

I managed to find black sheets and a black comforter with lacy white designs all over it. It was really cool looking. I grabbed the big plastic carrier and looked around for decorations. I found a zebra striped table lamp, a white clock, and cool wall stickers that were a bunch of white swirls and vines. It would look awesome spread across the black walls.

When I was done, I found my mom at the counter where you get the paint. "Done," I said.

"Wow, that was fast, honey," she commented. "Looks like some nice stuff!"

"I think I've got everything for now," I said.

"I need some things, so you can look around for a bit if you want. We can meet at the entrance of the store."

I nodded and went off. The store was Target, so it was big. I stopped at the makeup to see what they had.

I didn't wear a lot of makeup, but I did wear it. Just not caked on my face. I grabbed another tube of liquid eyeliner, a tube of red lipstick, a new kind of mascara that was apparently fabulous at the moment, and more concealer. "I better quit before my mom kills me," I muttered to myself.

The magazine area was right across from the makeup, so I crossed the aisle and grabbed a magazine, flipping through it. I heard voices getting louder, and I glanced up to see a group of four girls walk into the makeup area, all ready to get their hands on anything they could. I rolled my eyes and focused my attention back on the magazine.

After a couple of minutes, one girl said, "Her makeup is so tacky. Like that eyeliner? It's _so_ not good enough."

"I know, right? And her red lipstick? Gross. Those clothes totally scream 'Rebel' too."

"I can hear you," I sing-songed, still looking through the magazine. "If you're trying to whisper, you're doing a shit job."

They cleared their throats and I glanced up. "Who does your makeup? Your five year old sister?" The one blonde girl smirked.

"Is that makeup on your face, or were you raped by a pack of crayons?" I shot back. I dropped the magazine back on the shelf and walked over to the girls.

I grabbed a pink eyeliner pencil and slapped it in the blonde's hand. "You should really consider buying this. It's the cherry on top of that cake you call a face. Lay off the foundation, Dorito girl." And with that, I turned on my heel and walked off. I could hear the blonde shrieking, "Is my foundation really that bad?" to her friends.

I pulled out my phone and dialled my friend Kendall's number. She picked up on the second ring. "Ally!"

"I'm ready to drive a stake through my heart."

"That bad, huh?" Kendall was my best friend back in Miami because we had so much in common. We both had family issues and had the same type of style. She was the only one who got me.

"I've been here for three hours and I've already been threatened by my stepsister and made fun of by these random girls in Target. How the hell am I supposed to go to school next week, especially in the middle of the term?"

"You'll figure it out, you always do. You're a smart girl, Ally. We all miss you here."

"I miss you guys, too. I wish I could have stayed with my dad."

"No kidding, it would have been so much better. Hang in there, girl, you'll be okay. Let me know how things go!"

"I will, K."

"You know I've always got your back," Kendall said. "MSFTS forever."

I smiled into the phone. "You know it. I'll talk to you later."

"See you!" I hung up and put my phone back in my pocket before going to pay for my makeup. When I finished, I went to find my mom again.

"There you are, honey," she said when I got to the entrance.

"Sorry, I was busy looking at makeup," I covered.

"Oh, okay. What did you buy?" She asked me, smiling.

"Just my usual things. I'm running out," I told her on our way out of the store.

"I can pay you back for it later."

"Mom, it's my makeup, you don't need to do that," I said as we put everything in the trunk of the car.

"Well, if you're sure. Do you mind driving home, honey? I'm feeling tired."

"Sure." She handed me the keys and I got into the driver's seat. My mom was asleep before I pulled out of the parking lot.

A few minutes into the drive, I glanced at my mom's sleeping form. No matter what I did or how many times I screwed up, my mother was always there for me. She was constantly trying to keep me happy and do what was best for me, and I loved her for that. I sometimes felt like I disappointed her. Don't ask me why, I just did.

When we got home, I gently shook my mom. "Mom, we're back."

She stirred and opened her eyes sleepily. "Already? Jeez, I need to go lie down."

"I'll unpack everything, just go rest," I told her.

"Oh, you're the best, honey," she sighed, kissing my forehead before heading inside.

Bryce came out a few seconds later. "How was shopping?"

"Well, I got trash talked by a group of girls at Target. But other than that, it was fine."

"Trash talked? Why?" He asked, grabbing a bag.

"For what I'm wearing and my apparent shitty makeup job."

"Oh, ignore that," Bryce said. "You look better than half the girls I know."

"Well, thanks, but they don't bother me."

"Those comments have to hurt a little."

I shrugged. "Let it roll off the shoulders and you're fine." I closed the trunk of the car. "Come on, you're going to help me paint my room."

"Do I get paid?"

"No."

"Do I get anything?"

"No," I repeated.

"Okay, fine."

* * *

**Review, please, they are much appreciated! Who likes R5 here? WHO HEARD PASS ME NYEEEEEH ITS SOOOOOO GOOD AAAH I CANT ASHFKAFJAKA I LOVE IT SO MUCH.**

**Joelle xx**

**twitter? r5giirl**

**Instagram? r5giirl**


	4. The Dreaded Day

**A/N: Hey guys! I completely forgot to say what MSFT is in the previous chapter, cuz im sure some of you were wondering! **

**It's like an acronym for Misfit, so someone who doesn't want to change to please people, and they just want to be themselves. They like standing out from other people! It's actually a real thing, go look it up! Kylie Jenner and Moisas Arias from Hannah Montana are MSFTS, as well as Pia Mia and Moisas' brother! I'm sure some of you know they these people are haha There's a bunch in the world, those are the famous MSFTS I guess haha it's really cool! I'm a MSFT too :)**

**Disclaimer: don't own A&A.**

* * *

Ally POV

I bolted up in bed, breathing heavily. "Oh my god," I gasped before realizing where I was. I calmed down a bit. "Just a bad dream."

I was covered in sweat, so I went to my bathroom to wash my face. My eyes were all red; I must have been crying.

"Perfect," I grumbled, splashing my face with cold water. After I cleaned up, I trudged back through the door to my bedroom. It had been a little over a week since my mom and I moved in, and my room was finally finished. It looked so much better now.

I glanced at my alarm clock on the bedside table and saw that it was four in the morning. "It's too early for this shit," I yawned as I crawled back under my covers. "Wake me up when it's time for supper." I paused. "Oh, wait. There's no one here except for me. Awkward." I shrugged and closed my eyes.

* * *

"Ally."

"Mmm."

"Honey, it's time to wake up."

"I don't wanna. Let me sleep."

"Come on, it's seven. You don't want to be late for your first day."

I groaned. "Shit." I forgot it was my first day of school today.

"Breakfast is on the table," my mom said before walking back down the hall, leaving my door open.

I sighed and reluctantly sat up, stretching my arms over my head before swinging my legs off the bed. I slid on my black rimmed glasses and trudged out of the room.

It was only Mike and my mom in the kitchen. "Morning, Ally," Mike greeted as he read the morning paper with his coffee beside him.

"Morning," I yawned. "Where's everyone else?"

"Claudia already ate; she's upstairs getting changed, and Bryce should be down soon." As if on cue, the black haired boy walked into the kitchen, already dressed.

"Morning, bud. Hungry?" Mike asked his son.

"Starving," Bryce said, grabbing the pancakes. I sat down beside him and filled my plate as well.

"Damn, these are good pancakes!" Bryce exclaimed.

"Thank Penny," Mike chuckled.

"Can you make pancakes everyday? Because I would be totally fine with that," Bryce told my mom.

My mom smiled. "You'd get sick of them quickly."

"Doubtful. These things are delicious!"

I shook my head and ate my breakfast while he stuffed his face.

Claudia came in shortly after dressed in a green sundress and white heels with her hair perfectly twisted into a bun.

"Claudia, it's not very warm out today," Mike said as he eyed his daughter's outfit.

"Daddy, you know I like to dress to impress," she said as she downed a glass of water.

"Don't come crying to me if you get sick."

"I won't, jeez." Claudia walked past again and pulled Bryce up. "Let's go, or you aren't getting a ride."

"You can take Ally, too," Mike told her, folding the paper.

"She's not even ready yet," Claudia said. "Bryce, move it."

"Claudia," Mike warned.

"It's okay, Mike, I can walk," I told him. Truth was, I didn't care how far the school was. I would rather walk ten miles to school than ride with Claudia.

"Honey, take my car," my mom said. "It's your first day, you don't want to risk being late."

"Well, now that that's all settled, we're going. Later!" Claudia and Bryce walked out the door, Bryce giving me an apologetic look on the way out. We could hear them arguing outside.

Mike shook his head. "Those two will be the end of me."

Mom rubbed his shoulders. "Don't stress about it. You better go get ready for work."

"Right. I have a big case today."

"Like a murder case?" I asked.

"Nah, it's just your typical suing," he said. "But the rest is confidential."

I nodded and stood. "Thanks for breakfast, mom."

"No problem, honey," she said.

I went back upstairs to my room so I could get ready. I washed my face, brushed my teeth and put in my contacts before I went to my closet.

I put on skinny jeans, a white tank top with a red plaid shirt over it, and my black Dr. Martens. I brushed my hair and pulled it into a long ponytail, some shorter pieces falling out around my face.

"Good enough," I said to my reflection in the vanity mirror. I quickly put on some makeup to cover my dark circles and swiped on mascara before running downstairs with my bag.

"Bye, mom, bye Mike!" I called.

"Have a good day, Ally!" Mike yelled from upstairs.

"Wait, honey, here are the keys!" My mom said, coming into the foyer. "Plus directions to the school."

"Thanks," I told her, taking them.

"Have a good first day," she said, hugging me. "You'll do great."

"Hope so," I said, hugging her back. "See you tonight." Mom was working at a publishing company.

I went out to the car and threw my bag in the passenger seat before starting it. It turned out it was a five minute drive to the school. Yep, I easily could have walked.

As soon as the school came into sight, I was in awe at how big it was.

"Why the hell is everything so big in this city?" I exclaimed to myself. The parking lot was huge too, so finding a spot was hard. And people were hanging out in the lot, sitting on their cars and goofing around before classes began. "Really? Some people are trying to drive here. If I smoke your ass, it's _your_ fault," I said.

Some of the only spots left in the lot were at the very end, so I had a ways to walk. When I parked, I got out and grabbed my bag. I could feel some eyes on me as I walked, but I just ignored them and kept moving towards the main building.

The hallways were packed with students, so finding the main office was a little difficult. When I did find it, I was relieved.

"Can I help you?" the secretary asked.

"Um, yeah, I'm Ally Dawson? I just transferred here from Miami," I said.

She typed around on her keyboard. "Oh, yes, Miss Dawson. Principal Saunders' office is right through that door. You can go on in, he's been expecting you."

"Thanks," I muttered, following her direction.

I knocked on the open door, just to be polite. Principal Saunders looked up from his paperwork. He was a nice older looking man. "Principal Saunders?"

"Ah, you must be Allyson Dawson, the new student!" he said, standing up to shake my hand.

"Call me Ally," I said.

"Well, Ally, welcome to Ashburn High School. Home of the Anemones!" he told me excitedly before fist pumping. "Go team go!"

Anemones? Oh dear.

"Uh, yeah," I said, eager to change the subject.

"You're Claudia and Bryce Sandler's new stepsister, correct?" Principal Saunders said, flipping thorugh my file.

"Yeah, that's me," I said. Unfortunately.

"Perfect. Now, here's your schedule, and a map of the school," he told me, handing me two papers. "As you know, transferring after school has already started does determine your class choices, but I managed to get you into Advanced Music, as you requested previous to moving here. However, your other classes were decided based on availability of spots in that particular class. Of course, when the second term rolls around, you will be able to pick yourself."

I glanced down at the schedule. It was broken into four 60-minute classes a day, with my lunch hour after my third class, which was English Lit. My first class was Pre-Calculus Math, my second was Advanced Music, and my last class was Gym. I inwardly groaned at the Gym.

"These are fine," I told Principal Saunders. "Thanks for squeezing me in."

"No problem, Miss Dawson. I think you'll come to love it here at Ashburn very quickly," he replied. Jeez, this was a happy man.

I tried for a smile. "I, uh, better get to class," I said, standing up.

"Oh, one more thing." He shuffled through my file again before handing me a small slip of paper. "This is your locker number. The combination is on the back. If you have any questions, feel free to come talk to me," he told me. "If you have any problems, too."

"I will," I assured him. "Thanks again."

As I left the office, I checked down at my locker number. 504. "Oh jeez, that'll be on at least the second floor," I groaned to myself as I headed towards the stairs.

Some people whispered at me as I walked by, and other's quit talking completely so they could stare at me. "Isn't that Claudia Sandler's new stepsister?"

"She looks scary."

"What's with the dark clothing? This isn't England."

"Damn, she's hot." I heard a smack, presumably from the guy's girlfriend. "Ow!"

By the time I made it down the hall and to the stairs, I had heard a bunch of different things that would most likely become rumours by the second class. People were acting like they saw some person who belonged in hell, not sunny Tampa, Florida.

I found my locker on the second floor like I had guessed, and dug around to find the paper with my combination. I spun the combination in a couple of times and it wouldn't work.

"Hey, Goth Girl," some jock said as he and his buddies walked past. They were clearly on the football team. "Did Satan let you up to spy on his next victims?" They earned a round of laughs and fist bumps.

_Oh, good one, never heard that before_, I thought sarcastically. I tried a third time and my lock still wouldn't open. "Ugh!" I exclaimed.

"You have to spin it around twice before you can plug the numbers in," a voice said from behind me. I turned around to see a short curly haired Latino girl sitting on a window ledge, a binder open on her lap. She got up and came over. She spun my lock twice. "Now try."

I just eyed her before doing as she said. I pulled down and the lock popped open. "Thanks," I muttered, putting my supplies in.

"No problem. First day?"

"Yep. My mom remarried and we moved from Miami. It's been a fun time."

"Sarcasm. I like it." She held her hand out. "I'm Trish, by the way."

I cautiously took it and shook it. "Uh, I'm Ally."

"Wait a minute, aren't you Claudia Sandler's new stepsister?" Trish asked.

I groaned. "How does everybody know that?"

"Around here, Claudia's top shit. The Queen of Ashburn, as everyone says. If something happens in Claudia's life, everyone knows about it."

"So…"

"Yeah… everyone knows who you are."

"Well, that's just perfect. I hate being the center of attention."

"Mmm, I love it," Trish said.

Wow, we are completely different people. First person I meet, and we have nothing in common so far.

"What's your first class?" Trish asked.

"Um, Pre-Calculus," I told her, hoisting my bag higher on my shoulder.

"That's on the first floor. Come on, I'll show you where it is," Trish said, going to grab her things from the ledge.

"Don't you have class to get to?" I asked her. "I can find it by myself."

She actually laughed. "I'm always late for class. Besides, my first period teacher never notices I'm not there on time. I'll be fine."

She started walking down the hall and when she realized I wasn't following her, she stopped and turned around. "Are you coming or what?"

I hesitated before sighing and hurrying to catch up to her.

* * *

**A/N: Dr. Martens are some of my favorite kinds of shoes. They are so cute! :D I love the style of them. If you guys have questions about anything I mention, or forget to mention, that you come across in the story, just PM me :) I'll explain it all!**

**Hope you guys enjoyed! Maybe I'll update later today too! :)**

**Joelle xx**

**twitter? r5giirl**

**Instagram? r5giirl**


	5. Welcome to Ashburn High!

**A/N: Two updates in the same day!? Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat. haha I felt like it :) **

**One person reviewed as said how is wearing red and white considered goth. Well, it's like, Florida, so everyone is so sunny and cheerful there with their bright clothes, short shorts and flip flops, sundresses, etcetera... Ally wear chunky boots and DARKER colors, as well as darker makeup. Plus, her hair is dark. So, some people consider her goth. But she's not lol they're just calling her that cuz she stands out from the brighter and more fashionable clothing the other students wear. Sound good?**

**Disclaimer: don't own A&A.**

* * *

Ally POV

"Oh, thank god and all things holy that you're in this class," I said as I slid in beside Bryce.

He grinned. "Rough first day?"

"Well, not really, but I've only made friends with this one girl."

"It's only the third period," Bryce pointed out. "And the bell hasn't even rung yet."

"Whatever," I said before I paused. "Wait, why are you in this class? You're only fifteen."

"I did this voodoo magic on Mrs. Barns to let me sit in here today because I didn't feel like going to Graphics."

I stared at him.

He laughed. "I'm kidding. I'm kind of a genius."

"A genius?"

"Yeah."

"Well, if you're a genius, then why aren't you in my pre-calc class first period?" I asked.

"I have it fourth period," he explained. "I'm also really good at writing, so I got bumped up to this level of English."

"Oh," I said, finally understanding.

"Oh yeah. I'm chilling with the juniors," he said, leaning back in his chair with his hands behind his head.

The teacher, who I assumed was Mrs. Barns from Bryce, came into the room just as the bell went. She was a younger teacher, maybe in her early thirties at most. I had to do a double take because I thought Salma Hayek just walked into the classroom. "Alright, class, get out your short stories you've been working on," she said with a slight Spanish accent.

I hesitated before slowly raising my hand. "Um, Mrs. Barns?"

She looked up from her desk. "Yes, Miss…?"

"Um, Ally Dawson?"

"Oh, yes, Ally. I guess you have no clue what's going on," she smiled kindly. "Well, since you're coming into the middle of the assignment, you do not have to do it."

"That's bull!" Someone called from a few rows ahead of me. I raised my head to see a blonde haired guy looking pissed off. "Just because Gothica here transfers in the middle of the term, she gets to skip an assignment?" A few people in the room agreed.

What an ass.

I elbowed Bryce. "Do I look goth to you?" I whispered.

He scoffed. "Not even close."

"Mr. Moon, that's enough," Mrs. Barns barked. "You just earned yourself an essay to write about respect to your peers."

"But that's two assignments at once!" This Moon guy complained.

"Oh, now it's four! Would you like five?" Most of the class was snickering by now. I was resisting the urge to smile. Mrs. Barns was officially my new favourite teacher.

Bryce nudged me. He was trying not to laugh.

The guy shut up. "That's what I thought," Mrs. Barns smiled, satisfied. "Now for the rest of you, get out your stories and work. Ally, come up here and see me please."

I slowly rose and walked up the aisle. Next thing I knew, I was on the ground, and the whole class was laughing at me. I looked to my left to see the Moon guy smirking at me. I knew very well that he had tripped me.

"Ally! Are you okay?" Mrs. Barns exclaimed.

"I'm fine," I said harshly, pushing myself off the ground. "I slipped."

"Your nose is bleeding, honey," she said. I raised my hand to my nose and found red liquid. Well, great. "Bryce, take her to the nurse's office so she can get that checked out. You can talk to me later, Ally."

He came over and led me out of the room, the laughs of the class fading as we went down the hall. As soon as we were out of earshot of the classroom, I said, "Who the _hell _is that jackass?"

"That's Austin Moon," Bryce told me. "He's the captain of the basketball team."

I pulled my hand away from my nose long enough to say, "They let _that_ guy be the captain of a school sports team?"

"Apparently?" Bryce said, more like a question.

I glared. "I already hate him. I _hate _him_._ I swear if he's in my gym class-"

"I think he is," Bryce admitted.

"Oh, ow."

"What's wrong? Is it your head?"

"No. I think I broke my ankle. Oh, jeez," I said.

"Nice try, Ally. Just ignore his presence and you'll be fine."

"That's not saying he'll ignore _my_ presence. He clearly didn't in English."

"Relax. You look like you're going to murder somebody," Bryce said as we entered the nurse's office.

"Oh, I can think of someone I'll _slaughter_," I seethed.

The nurse looked out from behind a cabinet she was rummaging through. "Oh, dear, what have we got here?"

"A bloody nose and a raging student," I said. Bryce hit me lightly in the stomach. "Ow!"

"Be nice," he whispered.

I rolled my eyes. "Am I fine to go?" I asked the nurse.

"Come sit here, and I'll check it out." She patted a bed in the corner of the room, so I went over and sat on it. I took my hand away from my nose so she could inspect it.

"It's definitely swollen, but it's not broken. I'll give you some ice and some Advil. I'm afraid that's as much as I can do," the nurse said. "How did you end up doing this to yourself?"

"I fell," I stated bluntly.

"And managed to do this?" she asked, shocked.

"Guess so. I'm a klutz."

The nurse clucked her tongue. "Be more careful, honey. I'll be right back." When she left the room, Bryce spoke up.

"What are you going to tell your mom and my dad?"

"That I fell, just like I've been telling everyone."

"Ally, maybe you should tell them what Austin did," he suggested.

"Ha, no way. That's called tattle tailing, and I don't do that."

"Ally, that's not tattle tailing, he could have seriously hurt you today! Plus, dad's a lawyer."

I couldn't help it; I started laughing. "I'm not going to sue Austin for being a typical asshole. He tripped me, big whoop. I'm fine."

"I'm just looking out for you," Bryce said.

I smiled. "I know. You're a good little stepbrother."

"You make me sound like a dog."

"Maybe you are a dog," I said.

"Ouch."

"Bryce, chill. I'm not going to let Austin get to me," I said, just as the nurse came back with my Advil and an ice pack.

"Take these." She handed me the pill and ice pack. "And stay here and rest. What's your last class?"

"Gym."

"I'll write you a note to have you excused. No way are you running around in your condition." She looked at Bryce. "Mr. Sandler, you take the note to Mr. Fender and then you get back to class."

"Yes, Mrs. Nixon," Bryce said. "You sure you're okay?" he added to me.

'I'm fine," I assured him. "Just go. Thanks."

He nodded and followed Mrs. Nixon out of the room.

I dug in my pocket to find my phone. There were no new messages.

After I sat there for the longest time, there was a knock on the door. "Come in," I said, assuming it was the nurse.

The door opened and Mrs. Barns walked in. "How are you feeling, Ally?"

I shrugged. "I'm good."

She closed the door behind her and sat on the chair beside my bed. "What really happened?"

"I told you. I slipped and fell, it happens all the time."

"I'm sure you don't end up with your nose looking like that all the time," Mrs. Barns said. "I have a feeling Austin had something to do with it."

"No, he didn't. I'm telling you I slipped, so why don't you believe me?"

"Because I can see it in your face, Ally. You aren't a good liar."

"That's probably a good thing."

"Ally, I'm trying to help you, so you don't end up having a nose the size of Jupiter every day," Mrs. Barns said.

I scoffed. "Wow, the insults _never _stop, do they?"

Mrs. Barns softened. "I didn't mean it like that. I take it your first day hasn't been going very well."

I looked down and was quiet for a few seconds before I said, "No. It hasn't."

"Wanna tell me what's up?"

"What's up?" I repeated. "Look at me! I don't fit in. Everybody hates me, and I'm sure Claudia has already started rumours about me."

"I'm sure that's not true."

"Oh, it probably is."

"No. Bryce doesn't hate you. And I heard Trish De La Rosa talking about you. She seemed really happy to have met you."

"That's two people. There's probably at least 6000 people at this school."

"I haven't heard anything bad about you, so that's a good sign," Mrs. Barns tried again.

"Is that supposed to cheer me up? Because it's not working."

"Well, I was hoping. But it was to tell you that things will get better. It's only your first day. You'll see." Mrs. Barns stood up. "I'll tell you about your assignment when you come back. Don't worry about it now."

I nodded. "Thanks," I mumbled.

"No problem, Ally. And don't feel shy to come talk to me. I'm here to help," she smiled. She patted my shoulder and left the room.

So, in my first day, I've made one friend, and I met one cool teacher. I must have set a record or something.

Not.

* * *

**A/N: There, I cleared the goth thing up haha. Oooh, Austin's a jerk :/ What's going to happen next? Get the title of the story now? lol**

** Reviews are much appreciated! :)**

**Joelle xx**

**twitter? r5giirl**

**Instagram? r5giirl**


	6. Bryce And His Big Mouth

**A/N: Sorry I haven't updated, I've been busy with work and my life :( Unfortunately, Fanfiction is not my number one priority, but I always update as soon as I can, I promise! Thanks for the continued support, I love you guys! xxx**

**Disclaimer: don't own A&A, but I own the other characters not associated with it.**

* * *

Ally POV

"We're back!" Bryce called into the house when we stepped through the door. Bryce came home with me since Claudia had to stay for drama or something. I didn't really care. As long as she wasn't here, I was fine with wherever the hell she was.

"Hey, guys!" Mike's voice came closer as he turned the corner. My mom was behind him.

"How was your first- Woah, Ally! What on earth happened to your nose?" she exclaimed when she got a good look at me.

"I fell in school, don't worry about it," I told her and Mike.

"That's pretty swollen, Ally," Mike said, checking it. "I don't think falling can cause that." Damn, nothing every gets past this guy. Guess that's why he's one of the best lawyers in the state.

"She got tripped by some jerk in her English class!" Bryce burst out.

"Bryce!" I yelled, before I winced. "Ow."

"They needed to know, Ally," he said.

"You got tripped? Who is this person?" my mom said. She looked pissed.

"Mom, don't worry about it," I sighed. "It's just a guy that got mad because I don't have to do an assignment the class is working on right now since I transferred late. At least my teacher seems cool."

"What's the boy's name?" Mike asked.

"Austin Moon."

"Moon…that sounds so familiar." He thought for a second before he snapped his fingers. "I got it. His parents own that popular mattress store downtown."

I shrugged. "Beats me. All I know is that I hate his guts already and I didn't even say a word to him. It took all I had not to deck him."

"I don't think punching him would have helped the situation," my mom said.

"It would have made _me _feel better," I said. I pushed past them to the stairs. "I'm going to my room."

When I got to my room, I dropped my bag and collapsed on my bed. Before I could even take my shoes off, there was a knock at my door.

I sighed. "What?"

The door opened and my mom came in with an ice pack. "This will help with the swelling," she said, handing it to me.

"Thanks," I grumbled.

She smiled sympathetically and sat on my bed. "So, other than the nose, how was your first day?"

"It sucked."

"It couldn't have sucked that bad."

I ticked off my fingers. "Well, I got stared at while I walked through the parking lot to the school, I got called every name you can think of in the hallway, I couldn't get my locker open, I got bashed in front of my entire English class by the same guy who proceeded to _trip me_ right after… I don't really need to go on."

My mom sighed. "Ally, it will get better. Why couldn't you get your locker open?"

"They aren't like the locks back in Miami. Some girl had to help me. She's the only friend I made today." I threw my fist up in a sarcastic way. "Real victory."

"At least you made a friend! Now you have someone to talk to!"

"Mom, I just want to go home."

She put her hand on my knee. "I know you do, honey, but this is our living situation now. I promise you, you'll like it here. It was only your first day. Maybe you could try joining a school club!"

"Like what?"

"I'm sure they have something music related. You love your music," she suggested.

I shrugged. "I don't know. I'll think about it."

My mom smiled. "That's my girl. But I'll let you rest now. I'll let you know when dinner is ready." She kissed my forehead before heading back downstairs. Not three seconds before she left, Bryce came in.

"Can't a girl get some peace and quiet around here?" I exclaimed.

"You can in five minutes," Bryce said, jumping on my bed. "I'm sorry I told your mom and my dad about Austin."

I waved it off. "It's fine, they would have found out anyway. So what is this Austin guy's story?"

Bryce shrugged. "I don't really pay attention to him much. All I know is that he's really popular, but surprisingly, my sister hasn't managed to get her hands on him yet."

My eyes widened. "What."

"I know. It makes her mad, I think it's hilarious," Bryce snickered.

"She'll manage eventually. I mean, look at her, she's gorgeous."

"Looks aren't the only thing that matter. Look at her personality."

"Wow, you really enjoy putting your sister down," I commented.

"I just don't like how she acts. It bugs me and I think she's going to get herself into trouble one of these days." He shrugged. "I'm worried about her."

I softened at the look on his face. "Bryce, she's a big girl. She can take of herself. Anything she gets herself into is her own fault. She has to learn."

"I guess you're right," he sighed. "Hey, who was that friend you made today?"

"Trish? I think Mrs. Barns said her last name is De La Rosa?"

"Oh, yeah, she's in my chemistry class. Not her best subject," he said.

"So what, she failed last year and now she's taking it with you?" He nodded. "I thought you said you were a genius. Why aren't you taking AP chemistry with the juniors?"

"I was only allowed to advance a couple of classes, so I chose English and Pre-Calc to be taught at your age level."

"Oh," I said, understanding.

"Yeah, but other than that, Trish seems pretty cool. A little aggressive and I heard she's not very good at keeping part-time jobs, but she's nice."

"Hmm. Well, thanks for the little description. At least I know a little more about her."

"Sure." He got up from the bed. "I'm going to go hang out with some friends. Wanna come?"

"No thanks, I'm going to rest for a while," I said. "See if some of the swelling goes down before I have to go out in public again."

He chuckled. "Alright, see you later, Ally."

When he left, I went to the closet and changed into black sweats, a red tank top, and put my hair in a big bun. I took my contacts out and slid on my glasses before crawling back into bed.

I sighed. "I'm so ready for this day to end."

* * *

**A/N: Reviews are appreciated! :) Let's get to 100!**

**Joelle xx**

**twitter? r5giirl**

**Instagram? r5giirl**


	7. Crystal's Cafe

**A/N: I think you guys are going to like this chapter :)**

**Disclaimer: don't own A&A but own all other characters not associated with it.**

**Oh, and one of you reviewed and said "don't you mean 18 when Ally moves out, not 21." yes, I meant 18 haha I was thinking the legal drinking age in the US for some weird reason. **

**One other person reviewed under Guest saying chapter six was okay and that I should make my chapters longer. I really do try and make the chapters as long as I can, you guys, but sometimes I have to cut it off or else it just keeps going and going. I have a very busy life, especially with my Grade 11 year starting in a week, and I'm juggling a job on top of that, so I don't have a ton of time to write sometimes, but I always try and get a chapter or two done for you guys! I try as hard as I can! :) You're all the best for your continued support, you guys keep me going! xoxoxox**

* * *

Ally POV

"Can I help you?"

"Uh, hi. I was wondering if you guys were still looking for help?" I asked. My mom had suggested I look for a part time job so I could get out more, and I thought it might be good for me so as of right now, I was Crystal's, a café close to the house.

"Oh, thank god someone is finally asking," the girl said. She looked around my age. "We haven't had anyone come in looking for a job since we put that sign up, which was four months ago."

"Looks like it's your lucky day."

"I'll be right back, I'll grab Crystal. She's the boss around here. Obviously, since the place is called Crystal's Café and all." The girl paused. "You know what, I'll just shut up and leave." She left and came back a minute later with a nice looking lady who looked like she was in her late twenties before she went to help a customer at the counter.

"I'm Crystal, the owner," the lady said, shaking my hand.

"Ally," I replied.

"Sam tells me you're looking for a job?" Crystal asked.

"Yeah," I told her.

"Well, since you're the only one that's asked, you're hired, my dear," the lady said.

"Seriously?"

Crystal nodded. "Yep. You look like a nice girl. Pretty, too," she added with a smile.

I blushed and shuffled my feet. "Oh, uh, thanks," I muttered.

"Can you start now?"

"Um, yeah, just let me call my mom." I quickly phoned my mom telling her I would be starting now, which she was surprised at but agreed, and then Crystal led me to the back. She handed me a black apron. "This is for you." She grabbed a matching visor with the café's logo on it and handed it to me as well. "And so is this. I'll have a nametag made for you in time for your next shift."

"Alright," I said, putting the apron on and slipping my visor on, pulling my ponytail through.

"Now, I'll get Sam to train you right now, I'm afraid I've got things to take care of in the back room. Just call if you need anything." And with that, Crystal went through the door that must have led to the back room.

I rubbed my temples and sighed before heading to the front counter where Sam was filling up the coffee maker. "Crystal said you're supposed to train me," I told her.

"Okay, just let me finish this order first." I nodded and waited until she was done. She was a pretty girl, with bright blue eyes and long black hair that was braided to the side.. She looked nice enough.

"I'm Sam, by the way," she said before face palming. "Although you probably already knew that, according to my name tag."

"I'm Ally," I introduced.

"Nice to meet you," she smiled. "Welcome to Crystal's. There are two more of us that work here, not including Crystal. But enough babbling, let's get to work." She squealed before hugging me. "This is going to be so much fun! I've never trained anyone before!" She let go of me. "Oops. Sorry!"

"It's okay," I chuckled.

"The first thing we have to do when we work is wash our hands, obviously. So go do that while I take this person's order." After I came back from washing my hands, I saw Sam in an argument with some older guy.

"Sir, we don't sell bubble tea here," she said, and from the way she said it, for the tenth time. "Can I get you something else?"

"Do you have anything like bubble tea?"

"I can make you tea that bubbles! I'll just keep it on the stove element for a long time!" she said exasperatedly, trying so hard to keep the annoyance out of her voice.

I had to put my fingers over my mouth to keep from laughing.

The man grumbled. "I'll just take a latte."

While Sam and I got his order ready, I whispered, "Jeez, you'd think the guy could take a hint the first time."

"I swear, he never catches on," she whispered back before turning around and setting his latte on the counter. "There you go, sir. Enjoy."

"Thanks," he said before storming out of the shop.

"And I even told him there was a bubble tea shop around the corner. I never win," Sam said, causing us to laugh.

Just then, a group of teens came through the door.

"Oh great, my favourite customers," Sam said sarcastically.

When I turned around, I glared. "And _my_ favourite person in the world," I said just as sarcastically.

Sam looked at me confused until Claudia and her friends came up to the counter and Claudia noticed me. "Oh, look, it's my favourite little stepsister, Amy! And you're finally doing something useful!"

Sam's eyes widened as recognition set in and she looked at me. "It's _Ally_," I snapped. _And we're the same age, you idiot._

Claudia waved me off to the snickers of her friends. "Whatever. Sam, I'll get the usual. But don't put as much whip cream in there this time. Jeez, I need to watch my calories, stop trying to kill me or something."

"Coming right up, _Claudia_," Sam said sweetly. After the rest of the girls ordered, Sam grabbed my arm and pulled me over to the coffee machines.

When we were out of hearing range, she whispered. "You're Claudia Sandler's _stepsister_?"

"Sadly," I whispered back.

"No offence, but I hate her."

"None taken, I obviously do too. If I wasn't working, I would have ripped her a new one just now," I said. "Are those her friends?"

"More like her clones. They worship her, it's disgusting," Sam shuddered.

I like this girl so much.

"At least you don't have to live with her," I said.

Sam handed me a cup for the next drink. "Would you care if I spit in her drink?"

"Please do."

"Nah, I shouldn't," she said reluctantly. "But I really want to."

We quietly laughed while we finished making the drinks. Sam and I brought them to the counter and Sam slammed them down, not hard enough to spill them though. "Enjoy, girls," she smiled. If you called baring you teeth smiling.

"Much better," Claudia said as she inspected how much whip cream was on top of the drink. "Good girl, Samantha," she added, earning her a glare from said girl.

"There's not enough chocolate in mine," Claudia's one friend whined.

"You don't need all that chocolate anyway, Sarah," Claudia snapped. "Don't you want to look good for Dez? Let's go, ladies." They turned around, and Claudia looked over her shoulder. "Tell my dad I'm going to be home late," Claudia said to me.

"Why don't you just call him?"

"Why can't you just tell him?" she shot back before leaving the shop.

"Wow," Sam said. "I feel bad for you."

"Yeah, thanks," I muttered. After a few hours, it was finally slow enough for me and Sam to take a break.

"I'll admit, Ally, I'm impressed. You caught on quick," Sam said.

"Thanks," I smiled. "So I take it you go to Ashburn High, too."

Sam nodded. "Yeah. I still can't believe Claudia is your stepsister. You're so nice, and so is Bryce, and then there's _that_ _thing_."

I laughed. "_That thing_. I love it. Yeah, I transferred from Miami when my mom remarried their dad. What's the deal with you and Claudia anyway?"

"She's a bitch and I don't like her. She's rude to tons of people, including me."

"I feel you."

"I don't have any classes with you…I don't think?" Sam said. "You're sixteen too, right?"

"Yeah," I said. "You might be in my gym class last period."

"Oh yeah, I am. How come I haven't seen you in class yet?"

"I've been out for the past week with a nose injury," I mumbled. "But it's fine now. I start gym Monday."

"Oh, that's right! I heard about that," Sam said. "Austin told me you slipped and fell in English."

I threw my hands up. "I did not slip, I was-" I froze. "Wait, you know Austin Moon?"

Sam nodded. "He's my boyfriend."

* * *

**A/N: Who didn't see THAT coming at the end? That just spiced things up a bit! Review please, they're much appreciated! :D I'm going to try and write some chapters ahead of time for this story, and I'll update Parenting 101 ASAP!**

**Joelle xx**

**twitter? r5giirl**

**Instagram? r5giirl**


	8. Why Do Bad Things Always Happen To Me?

**A/N: I am so sorry for my lack of updating! Being a grade 11 student sucks, it's probably the worst year for work load, plus I have a job and two credit assignments I have to do every single day -_- it's not fun, I barely have free time. But here's an update, it's not the longest, but I hope you guys like it anyway! It's better than nothing, right?**

**Disclaimer: don't own A&A but own other characters not associated with it**

* * *

Ally POV

"He's your what?" I asked, really hoping I had heard wrong.

"My boyfriend," Sam repeated.

"Oh my god."

"Um, is that a bad thing?" she said nervously.

"For me. Ugh, this can't be happening to me," I groaned, rubbing my head.

"What's wrong? Why is it bad?" Sam asked.

"Look, you're really nice, but Austin and I don't get along. When he told you I slipped and fell in English? Yeah, he tripped me. Right after he called me Gothica."

"What? That doesn't sound like Austin," Sam said, confused.

"I swear on the Bible."

She sighed.

"You don't believe me, do you."

"No, no, Ally, I do," Sam said quickly. "I'm just surprised, that's all. Of course, we've only been dating for like, two months."

"That's _it_? No offence, but I hate him."

"None taken, I know he can get a little out of hand."

"A little? He doesn't even know me and he made me smash my face on the ground in front of the entire English class!" I shrieked, earning some glances in our direction.

"I'm really sorry, Ally," she said, looking guilty.

I sighed. I shouldn't have been taking my frustrations out on her. "No, it's not your fault."

"I can talk to him if you want," she offered.

"Well, thanks, but I'm not going to let it bother me," I told her. "I just don't get why he did it in the first place. He doesn't know me."

"I don't know why, either," Sam admitted. "To be honest, we don't know a whole lot about each other yet."

"Then why are you guys dating?" I blurt out before stopping. "Sorry, it's not my business."

"It's okay. My friend Gracie set us up because her boyfriend is friends with Austin," Sam explained.

"Do you really like him, or are you just dating him to make Gracie happy?" I flinched. "Sorry, sorry, I'll shut up."

Sam gave a small laugh. "Yes, I like him. He's really sweet."

I had to bite my tongue to stop myself from commenting on that.

"Well, looks like we all have gym class together," I said. "Make sure he doesn't kill me."

"He would never!"

"I'm just being theoretical. But seriously, keep that boy in line."

"No worries, I will." She took a sip of her drink. "Did something happen before he tripped you?"

"I got off easy in English because I started after the term began," I told her. "I mean, I get I'm not your typical teenage girl," I added, gesturing to my choice of clothing, "but he didn't have to go and trip me."

"Ally, you dress fine, I think your style is cool."

"Really? Everyone else seems to not think so. Do you know how many names I've been called since I started?"

"I don't think I want to know," she admitted.

"Yeah, exactly."

"Look, Ally, I promise you things will get better. The school doesn't get a lot of new kids very often so everyone is just used to the same old people doing the same old things. Then you come along and- how do I put this- 'wreck' the usual routine. That's a bad way of putting it, but you know what I mean," Sam said.

"Yeah, I get what you're trying to say."

"I suck at explaining things," she laughed. "My dad told me I'm always saying random words that don't make sense."

I grinned. "Think you can explain how to work the rest of the machines?"

"I'm practically a pro when it comes to working everything here," she giggled as she stood up. "Come on, we better get back to work."

I went to follow her but stopped as I realized something. "That's why Claudia doesn't like you, isn't it?"

"What?" Sam asked, confused.

"Because you're dating Austin."

"Oh, yeah, that's why," Sam said, finally getting it. "Claudia wants everything, and what she can't get, it just pisses her off and makes her go harder for it. I mean, the feeling is mutual, I can't stand her because she's rude and disrespects lots of people."

"Can't disagree with you on that one."

* * *

When I got home there was no one there, so I changed into yoga shorts and an old band sweater of my dad's, letting my long hair flow to my stomach. I sat at my desk and got to work on some homework.

"_Determine the quadratic function from the information shown in this graph, then find the vertex by completing the square_," I read in the textbook. "Mmm, no thanks. I have no motivation for pre-calc homework right now," I slammed my book shut before heading back downstairs.

While I was making myself a sandwich in the kitchen, I heard the door open and close. A few minutes later, Claudia came through the door.

"Oh, it's you," she said with disgust.

"Run for cover," I said sarcastically, grabbing the margarine. "I thought you weren't coming back until late."

"I got bored."

I ignored her and continued making my food.

"So, Austin told me he's sorry about your nose," Claudia said.

I snorted. "I call bullshit on that."

"He did."

I turned to face her. "It was probably just to get his good rep back," I snapped. "I just want to avoid him, okay?"

"Whatever," Claudia shrugged. She got up from the counter and left the room. I heard her go upstairs.

George walked in. "Oh, hello, Ally."

"What's up, G?" I bit into my sandwich.

"I didn't know you were home," he said.

"Yep, here I am."

"I was just dropping Bryce off at football practice," George said. "Your mom and Mike are out for dinner."

"Claudia is upstairs," I said.

He nodded. "Is everything alright, Ally?"

"Everything's peachy," I told him, slipping past him into the living room.

He hesitated. "Can I get you anything?"

"No thanks, I just want to be alone."

"Alright, dear, just call me if you need anything." I heard him go into the other hallway so I grabbed the remote and turned on the TV, trying to clear my head.

* * *

**A/N: hope you enjoyed! And I will try to update Parenting 101 as soon as possible, I swear! I really hate leaving you guys waiting for so long, I'm so sorry! :(**

**Just to remind you guys again that I will NOT abandon any of my stories, I sometimes just take a while to update because my life gets super hectic all of a sudden! But I will never ever ever leave these stories unfinished, I'll finish them all! :) Love you guys!**

**Joelle xx**

**twitter? r5giirl**

**Instagram? r5shadowhuntergiirl**


	9. Football Frenzy

**A/N: How is everyone doing? I hope you're all fabulous! :) I'm so tied down with school and work and extracurricular things, and it's just a big mess. But I made time for a chapter haha **

**I'm slowly piecing together another chapter for Parenting 101 too, so hang in there guys! I love you all! xx**

**Disclaimer: don't own A&A but own all other characters not associated with it.**

* * *

Ally POV

"Ally!"

I turned around from getting my gym clothes in my locker and saw Trish walking towards me.

"Oh, hey, Trish," I said.

"So I was wondering if you wanted to hang out after school."

"Um..." I glanced around and cleared my throat. "Seriously?"

She nodded. "We can go shopping or something."

"I'm not a huge fan of shopping," I told her, slamming my locker shut.

"I meant for me. I need a new outfit," she said. "Meet me at the front steps!" Before I could say anything more, she wiggled her fingers and hurried off to class.

I sighed and lugged my bag to the gym, which was on the first floor of the school. It was my first day of gym class since I was out with my nose injury, courtesy of Austin, and even though _he_ was in that class, at least Sam was, too.

Some of the class was already stretching and hanging out when I entered the gym. They all turned to look at me, but I just ignored them, stalking through the girls' locker room door.

"Hey Ally!" Sam greeted when the door swung shut behind me. She was tying her shoes on a bench near some lockers. The rest of the girls were gossiping with each other. Sam's hair was pulled back into a long black French braid. She was wearing a green tank top with white shorts.

"Hi," I said, setting my bag down. I pulled out a red athletic tank top with a built in sports bra and black yoga shorts.

"Ready for your first day of gym?" She grinned.

I shrugged. "As ready as I'll ever be. What's with the marks?" I added as I noticed black symbols drawn on the inside of her left lower arm.

"Oh," she said, suddenly embarrassed. "I, uh, really like The Mortal Instruments book series. These are symbols from them. It's stupid to draw them, I know-"

"No," I said quickly. "They look badass. I like them."

"Really?"

"Yeah," I said as I finished tying my shoes. "Keep them. Remind me to check those books out."

"Okay," she smiled. "Now come on, let's go die of exhaustion."

I quickly pulled my hair back into a long ponytail before we walked out into the gym. Austin was standing with a few of the guys, dressed in a white t-shirt and black basketball shorts. He spotted Sam and waved, not even glancing in my direction.

"You go ahead, I'll stay here," I told her.

"Ally-"

"No, just go talk to him. I know you want to."

She gave me one last look before hurrying off to him. I had to turn away. I don't know what she saw in that guy.

The coach came into the room. "Alright class, you know the routine. Out on the track, five laps warm up." He blew his whistle. "Go!"

Everyone groaned and started filing out the side doors of the gym.

"Miss Dawson," he said as I went to follow. I turned. "A word."

I walked over. "What's up?"

"I'm Coach Warren," he introduced himself. He was a handsome guy, maybe in his early thirties. He looked like Ryan Reynolds. "Seeing as how this is your first class, you can run three laps."

"I'm Ally," I told him. "And it's okay, I can do five." We don't need anyone bitching about my favoritism again, I thought.

"How's the nose?" the coach asked.

"Almost as good as new. I'm fine."

"Alright, if you say so. Get out there then," he said. I turned and went out the door where everyone was running around the track. Well, some were running; others were walking.

"I see you walking, Trevor!" Coach Warren yelled from the sidelines. "Move it, beef stick!"

I smirked and started running. I preferred to run by myself. I passed some people, much to their chagrin, including Austin and a couple of his friends.

"Woah, who knew Gothica was so quick," said one of his friends when I ran by.

"I know, right?" I threw over my shoulder sweetly. "Faster than you, anyway, you prick."

A couple of the people around us started snickering and I picked up speed. A minute later, someone came up beside me.

"Hey Sam, I-" I stopped when I realized it was Austin. "Oh, go to hell."

"Ouch," he said.

"I mean it. Leave me alone."

"Look, I'm sorry I tripped you in English, okay?" He didn't sound sincere at all.

"Apology not accepted," I told him. I sped up, but he caught up to me. Damn, he was quick.

"Gothica, would you just believe me?"

"Not when you call me that."

"New girl, then."

"That's much better," I said. "Maybe I will forgive you."

"Really?" He perked up.

I glared at him. "No. Lemme guess, Sam set you up to this, didn't she?"

"No, she didn't."

"Yeah, okay," I scoffed before bolting ahead of him. He didn't follow me.

When we were done running the laps, Coach made us do twenty pushups each before we split into teams for flag football.

"What was that about with Austin? I saw you talking to him while we ran laps," Sam said while we grabbed flags. We were on the same team, but Austin was on the other team. Great.

"Did you ask Austin to apologize to me?" I asked her.

"No!" She exclaimed. "I promise."

"Just checking because I didn't exactly expect him to do that."

"He apologized?"

"Yes, but he didn't sound like he meant it. Which he probably didn't," I told her as we all got into position. I could feel Austin's eyes on me, but I ignored him. He was probably plotting his next move to get me injured again. Or killed.

Before Sam could reply to me, Coach blew the whistle for us to start. The score eventually got to 28-28 with five minutes left of class so naturally, both teams were on edge, each wanting to get the winning touchdown. I rushed down the field to find an open spot for the pass.

"Yo new girl!" A guy on my team yelled. He threw the ball towards me and as it span in the air, Austin went to move in front of me to block it. Thinking quick, I reached out and plucked one of his flags from his belt to distract him, dropping it on the ground.

"Hey! You're supposed to grab my flag if I have the ball," He exclaimed, bending down to grab it. While he did that, I darted in front of him and snagged the ball from the air. I turned and ran to get the touchdown, hearing shouts behind me like, "Dude, as if you fell for that!"

"Touchdown for Red! You guys win!" Coach Warren yelled as he blew the whistle when I passed the marked area for a touchdown. "Good job Ally!"

My team cheered as I ran back to my side. "Wow, you didn't strike me as the sporty type," Sam said.

I shrugged. "My dad used to play with me a lot."

"Guess it came in handy," she grinned, but her smile was gone as quickly as it had came. "Uh oh."

"What?" I asked, following her gaze. Austin was staring at us, looking right _pissed_.

"What did you do?" Sam whispered to me.

"You didn't see me pull his flag off to distract him?" She shook her head. "Well, apparently he didn't like being played."

"Oh, Ally," she said, shaking her head. "You're really risking it."

"I don't care. Look, I'm sorry Sam, but he bothers me. If he's going to be an asshole to me, then he deserves to get a little of it back."

"You're fighting fire with fire."

"And _he's_ the one that's going to get burned, not me. Why are you even with him!?" I exclaimed before running off to the change rooms.

I quickly showered and ran out of the gym before any of the other girls got back. The bell rang and everyone piled out of their rooms. I went to my locker and threw my stuff in before gathering my homework.

I found Trish waiting on the front steps. "Hey!" She exclaimed happily.

"Hi," I said. "Are you really going to make me do this? Or can I just go ahead and slit my throat right now."

She rolled my eyes. "It's not that bad. Come on, it'll be fun."

I sighed just as a guy who looked our age came up to us. He was tall and slim, with purple hair that was styled to stand up in the front. He was wearing pink jeans and a white t-shirt that said "IM A GLEEK".

"Ally, this is my friend, Dylan. Dylan, this is my friend, Ally," Trish introduced. "Dylan's coming shopping with us," she added to me.

"Nice to meet you," he said in a more feminine voice. "And can I just say, you are _hot!_"

"Oh, um... thanks," I said somewhat awkwardly. I wasn't used to people calling me hot. Or pretty.

"Don't worry; I'm not hitting on you. I'm gay, if you hadn't already pieced that together," he said.

I had.

"Now that we're all best friends, let's go shopping!" Trish exclaimed, bolting to the parking lot.

"But I have my car here," I told her.

"Well, good. We need a vehicle."

I just looked at her before shaking my head and leading the way to my car. I dug through my bag and pulled out my keys. "I have to give Bryce a ride home first," I told Trish.

As if on cue, Bryce came up to the vehicle. "Hey," he greeted as we all got in.

"Hey," I relayed the greeting while I turned the keys in the ignition.

"How was gym?"

I shrugged. "Not bad. I scored the winning touchdown in flag football. Austin didn't like that very much. Well, I did pull off his flag before to trick him. He didn't like very much either."

"Ally!" Bryce exclaimed. "You're supposed to be the better person in this situation."

"I am being the better person. I didn't physically hurt him." I smirked. "I just bruised his ego. He'll get over it."

I noticed that Trish and Dylan were quiet in the back. "Are you guys dead back there?"

"You didn't tell me you were Bryce and Claudia's stepsister!" Dylan exclaimed.

"Why is everyone so shocked by that?" I said.

"Because Claudia is hot shit. I'm not, obviously." Bryce turned around in his seat. "Hey, I'm Bryce."

"Dylan," Dylan said. "This is Trish."

The three of them talked on the way home and when I dropped Bryce off, Dylan jumped in the front.

"So, what's the deal with you and Austin Moon?" Dylan asked.

"We don't like each other. The end."

"But he's _so_ hot," Dylan said, almost longingly. "How can you hate him?"

"I have my reasons," I muttered. "Can we just talk about something else please?"

"How about the fact that Trish and I are going to find the most gorgeous outfits for the homecoming dance!" He screamed happily, Trish joining in.

"Homecoming? Already?" I asked when I could hear again.

"It's already October," Trish pointed out. "You just transferred last week."

"Right," I said. "Well, I'm not going."

"What!" The two shopaholics shrieked. "But it's in like, three weeks!"

"Jeez, are you trying to get us in an accident?" I exclaimed as I slammed on the breaks from their sudden yells.

"Sorry," Dylan said sheepishly. "But seriously, you have to go to Homecoming! Everybody does!"

"I just don't find them fun," I said. "Plus, that means I have to dress up. You'll be dead before I put on a dress."

"You're going. You can come with us; we can all go stag together!" Trish said.

"I might not even be here; I might be at my dad's if it's on a weekend," I told them. "And *don't think about buying me an outfit without me knowing. Because I'll kill you," I added at the devious look on Trish's face as I glanced in the rearview mirror.

"Fine," she sighed.

"There's the mall," Dylan said. I passed a huge sign that read Tampa Bay Mall. The mall looked like it was three stories high.

"Oh god," I moaned when I found a parking spot and turned the vehicle off. We all clambered out. "There's got to be at least 300 stores in there. Who's got a knife?"

"308, actually. And oh shush, you'll love it," Dylan said, grabbing my hand and dragging me behind him and Trish, both of them on a mission.

Maybe I'll just sit in the food court with a smoothie and people watch. Yeah, that sounds fun.

* * *

**A/N: Little Austin & Ally confrontation... How did you guys like it? It's not too much but I think it turned out pretty good! And yes, I made Dylan gay, but if you have a problem with it, then you'll have to deal with it on your own terms. This is my story! Plus, my sister really wanted a gay character in it, so I did it for her :)**

**I mentioned The Mortal Instruments because I'm a hard core fan who is absolutely obsessed with that series. So I made Samantha a hard core fan too. And she draws Runes on herself. Because I do that too hahaha I'm being Isabelle for Halloween and my costume is freaking radical. It's so badass lol I've even got that Rune tattoos for it :) Again, to those of you that love The Mortal Instruments, you're seriously awesome. And you'll know what I'm talking about when I say Runes haha If you don't, look it up! They're so sick :)**

**Joelle xx**

**Again, I am slowly working on a Parenting 101 chapter whenever I have time, so work with me here people :p**

**twitter? r5giirl**

**Instagram? r5shadowhuntergiirl**

**The Mortal Instruments fanpage Instagram: claryizzybitchess**


	10. Small Town Smoothies

**A/N: Hope you guys enjoy this chapter! How are you all doing? :)**

**Disclaimer: don't own A&A but own all other character associated with it.**

* * *

Ally POV

"I swear you've tried on at least fifteen dresses," I said to Trish as she stood on the platform in front of the floor length mirror. "One of them has _got_ to be good enough for the dance."

Dylan gasped. "A dress can't be good enough. It has to be _perfect_." He snapped his fingers at Trish. "Girl, you are killing it in that dress. I think that's the one."

Trish grinned and looked at me expectantly. "Ally?"

The dress was a strapless, baby blue gown that flowed to her feet. The bust was sequined and the jewels curled down and around the rest of the dress in a single line.

I definitely wasn't your number one choice for fashion advice, but I said, "Trish, you've looked amazing in every single dress you've tried on. Just pick the one that makes you feel beautiful."

She held her head up. "You're right. I think I'll go with this dress. I'm going to go change and then pay."

Dylan turned to me once she went back to the change rooms. "After this, shoes!" He had bought black dress pants and a pink dress shirt with white suspenders for the dance. We had been at the mall for four hours already.

"Shoes?" I squeaked.

He nodded vigorously. "Oh yes! You need to get the perfect shoes to match your outfit."

I glanced down at my outfit, which was skinny jeans and a black t-shirt, my hair thrown up in a messy bun from gym class. I had my trusty black Dr. Martens on my feet. "Mmm, I think I'll stick with my own shoes."

He smiled at me and shook his head. In the four hours that I had known him, I had to admit, Dylan was pretty awesome. He was super nice and funny, too.

I stood up and stretched my legs, swinging my bag over my shoulder. "I'm going to grab a smoothie at the food court. I'll meet you guys at..." I trailed off, not exactly knowing where to meet them.

"Tammy Tiara!" Dylan said.

"Tiaras? I thought we were going shoe shopping," I groaned.

"We are! Tammy Tiara is the owner's name," Dylan clarified.

"Tammy Tiara?"

"Former model," he explained. "It was a stage name."

"Ah," I said. "Well, okay, I'll see you guys in a bit. Tell Trish where I went."

"Sure thing girlfriend!" I waved and left the store into the busy mall. The food court was on the second floor, so I had a ways to walk. When I got there, it wasn't very busy, thankfully. I didn't want to wait in line for long. Who does?

I looked around for a place that sold smoothies and saw a sign that read "Small Town Smoothies" near the back of the food court.

"That's convenient," I said to myself as I made my way there. While I waited in line, my phone buzzed in my bag.

I dug it out and saw that it was a text from Samantha. _Sorry about earlier today. I just don't want u to get hurt.  
_  
I texted back. _I'll be fine, I'm tough ;)  
_  
_I'll keep an eye on him 4 u._

_Thanx :) g2g!_

I slipped my phone back in my purse. After five minutes of waiting in line, I finally went up to the counter. Only to say, "No freaking way."

The one and only Austin Moon was standing behind the counter, wearing a red apron and a red ball cap that said "STS" on it.

He glared at me. "What do you want, Gothica?"

"Quit calling me that. And I want a smoothie."

"What _kind?_" He emphasized.

"Um..." I glanced up at the board, trying to decide.

"I don't have all day," he snapped.

"Jeez, what's your problem?" I asked. "You're supposed to be nice to customers. Besides, there's no one behind me. I'll just get a large Banana Cream."

He raised an eyebrow. "A large?"

"Uh, yeah. I'm thirsty. I've been sitting in this mall for four hours."

"Doing what?"

"Shopping with my friends for Homecoming because they are so indecisive about outfits and why am I even telling you this?" I exclaimed.

He shrugged. "You're the one running your mouth." He pushed some buttons on the register. "$4.75."

I handed him the money and when he gave me back my change, his hand brushed against mine and I almost jumped out of my skin. I noticed he yanked his hand back hard.

"So, you work here alone?" I asked, ignoring it.

"Right now, yep," he said while he made my smoothie. "My boss is on his break."

"Is it fun?"

"Nope."

Well, this was going nowhere. After a few seconds of silence, Austin turned to look at me. "Why are you staring at me? I know I'm hot and all, but that's just creepy."

"Don't flatter yourself," I snapped. "I'm making sure you don't spit in my drink."

He actually cracked a smile before turning back to the machine. "People don't actually do that, you know."

"Oh, I'm sure it's happened on many occasions."

"Well, I haven't done it to anyone so you're safe," he said.

"Doubtful."

"How's the nose?"

My hand instinctively went to my nose. "It's fine," I said sharply. "How's the ego?"

"Perfectly the same, thank you very much. One smart move and you act like royalty."

"So you admit that me ripping your flag off today was smart," I said smugly. "I'm not stupid; I know how to play football and pull some distractions."

"I didn't say you were stupid."

"You said quite the opposite, actually."

"Look, I don't know why you don't just take my apology about tripping you."

"Because you aren't sorry, that's why," I glared.

"How do you know?"

"Well, let's see: From the way you were throwing me murderous glances today in gym, and from the way you _tripped me in front of the whole damn English class-_ on my first day, might I add- I kind of assumed you're not the nicest person I've ever met."

"You don't even know me," Austin said, bringing my smoothie up to the counter.

"And you don't know _me_. Which means you had no right to trip me and call me Gothica when I did nothing wrong. I like the way I look, and I'm not out to impress you. Remember that next time you decide to make my life a living hell." I grabbed my smoothie. "Thanks."

I turned on my heel and started to storm away before he said, "Ally, wait."

I couldn't have been more stunned if he'd wanted to elope.

I stopped and turned around. "You called me Ally."

"That's your name, isn't it?"

"Well, yeah but-" I paused. "Nevermind. What?"

"I saw you talking to Samantha today."

"Yeah, we work together. Your point?" I hoisted my bag higher on my shoulder.

"We'll probably be seeing more of each other, then."

"I'll try not to get in your way," I said sarcastically.

"Look, I know you don't believe me but I really am sorry about your nose. I didn't mean for you to fall that hard."

"Who doesn't mean for someone to fall hard when they intentionally trip a person?" I exclaimed.

"I didn't think you were so uncoordinated."

"Oh, that's perfect: another insult. Goodbye, Austin." I went to turn around before he called my name again.

"What now?" I almost yelled before remembering I was in a food court.

"I was just having a bad day, alright? I took it out on you and I'm sorry."

I looked at him hard. Either he was really good at looking like a whipped puppy, or he really did feel bad.

After a few more seconds of contemplating, I cleared my throat. "Fine. You're forgiven. On one condition."

"What?"

"Stay away from me."

He looked surprised, much to my own shock, but said, "Fine," in a hard voice.

"Good. No problems, then." With that, I turned around and just as I took a step back towards the escalator, I collided with some dude that was busy texting and not paying attention. Next thing I knew, I was down, covered in my smoothie.

Everyone around me burst out laughing. "Shit, my bad," the guy that ran into me said before walking off, eyes reglued to his phone.

"Asshole!" I exclaimed.

A pair of blue high-tops appeared in front of me and I glanced up to see Austin looming over me. "You okay?"

"I'm fine," I said, standing up.

He glanced around at everyone still dying of laughter and stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Just ignore them."

I scoffed, tears burning my eyes. I shook my hands to try and get rid of the smoothie. "Yeah, because that's all I've been doing since I moved here; ignoring the pointing and laughing." I pushed past him and sprinted past everyone's laughter to the restrooms. A few girls were in there fixing their makeup and looked at me weird when the door shut behind me.

"Beat it!" I barked, throwing my bag on the sink. They hurried out the door. I dug my phone out of my purse and dialed Trish's number.

"Hey girl! Where are you?" She said when she answered.

"I'm in the restrooms near the food court. I got my smoothie all over me. Can you go buy me a new shirt?"

"Done. Be there in five." She hung up and I slipped my phone back into my bag. I cleaned up as much as I could and wiped my eyes, as well as splashing my face with cold water to reduce the redness of being extremely embarrassed.

Trish came bursting through the door, followed by Dylan. "Damn, what happened to you?" He exclaimed, running over.

"Some jerk ran into me and made me spill my smoothie all over myself," I said.

Trish handed me a bag and I pulled out a sparkly red tank top. I looked at her. "A simple t-shirt wasn't good enough? I'd rather drown in molasses than wear this."

"It was the closest thing to me when you called!" She said defensively. "Besides, it will look so good on you."

I grumbled and went into a stall, quickly peeling off my smoothie soaked t-shirt and putting on the red top. It clung to me as if it was wet.

"You look so pretty!" Dylan and Trish squealed when I came out.

"Thanks," I grumbled. "For buying the shirt, I mean."

"No problem," Trish smiled. "Oh god, did anyone see you fall? Like, from school?"

"Not that I would care if anyone did see me, but yeah. And it was Austin, of all people."

She winced. "What did he do?"

"Asked if I was okay. Did you know he works at the smoothie place?"

"Wow, sounds like something he would never say. Or do, in regards to the having a job part, especially at a smoothie joint," she said.

Dylan spoke up. "At least he didn't say anything rude."

"Yeah," I scoffed. "Shocker." I shook my head. "Whatever. Did you get your shoes?"

Trish nodded happily, holding a bag up. "Sure did! I can't wait for the dance."

"Tell me about it, I've been waiting for this for months," Dylan exclaimed.

"Can we go home now then? I have a bunch of homework to do," I interrupted, anxious to get away from the mall.

"Yeah, let's go." Trish led the way out and I kept my head down when we passed the food court.

"It'll be all over school tomorrow," I grumbled in regards to my fall. "I really don't need that."

"Ally, it will all blow over. Next thing you know, someone will pants someone in the hall or Mr. Fader will get caught making out with Miss. Dames again," Dylan said. He put a hand on my shoulder. "It'll be fine."

I appreciated his attempt to make me feel better, and it worked a little, but they didn't get it. I was already the outcast at the school, still the new girl. I didn't need anything else added to my shoulders.

* * *

**A/N: What did you all think? Let me know in a review or PM! :) Sorry the A/N's are pretty short, I'm in a hurry haha**

**Joelle xx**

**twitter? r5giirl**

**Instagram? r5shadowhuntergiirl**

**TMI Instagram? claryizzybitchess**


End file.
